Fiber optic connector adaptors, that may include internal alignment sleeves or surfaces, are frequently utilized to facilitate the mating of one or more fiber optic connectors and the fiber optic cables associated therewith. In this regard, a pair of fiber optic connectors can be inserted into the opposed ends of a fiber optic connector adaptor, and the adaptor serves to align the fiber optic connectors to a degree such that the optical fibers upon which the fiber optic connectors are mounted are appropriately aligned. Fiber optic connector adaptors can be mounted in a patch panel within an enclosure, or the like, so as to align a pair of fiber optic connectors inserted into opposite ends of the fiber optic connector adaptor. A metal or plastic plate or surface in the patch panel may include openings into which the adaptors may be disposed, and the adaptors may be designed to be held in position in the openings with screws or other fasteners.
A variety of fiber optic connector adaptors may be arranged together in a single row or in a single column in such a manner that two abutting surfaces of two or more adjacent adaptors are touching. In other words, the adaptors are arranged in a one dimensional or one directional array. The adaptors may be fixed, or interlocked with one another to form a single interlocked row or column that may be installed as a unit in a corresponding aperture in a patch panel. In this arrangement, however, at least two sides of the adaptors within the row or column are adjoining the metal or plastic panel or bulkhead that is used to hold the adaptors in a stationary and stacked position within the panel. The panel therefore has some minimum distance or space remaining between one single directional row or column of adaptors and another single directional row or column of similar adaptors, or in other words, between adjacent rows or adjacent columns of the adaptors.
With the use of optical fibers increasing at a rapid rate, there is a growing need to increase the number of optical fibers at any given installation. Thus, there remains a need to maximize the density of fiber interconnection sites at an interconnection location.